my little corner of the world

life.

January 01, 2019

it's one of my favourite days of the year ... one that's full of anticipation, excitement and fresh starts ... although it's a completely arbitrary date, and as my dad liked to say: "it's a day like any other," january 1st holds a feeling of magical new beginnings for me ... if you've followed along here for awhile you know that this day is also when i "reveal" my one little word ...

drumroll please for ...

welcome OPEN!! ... as always i'm super exited to get to know my new little word ... and i'm excited to be open to infinite possibilities ... this is a word that came easily to me about a month ago, there were a few other contenders, but in my heart i knew right from the beginning that this was my word for 2019 ... as i talked yesterday (look at me being on a blog post roll LOL!!) the season of grief is waning and i'm in a huge season of transition ... and with that transition i especially want to be open to what is coming for this next season/chapter of my life ...

at 53 there are a few things that have become non-negotiable and that i can't be trite about anymore ... primarily my health ... i need to move this aging (sadly) body ... too many aches and pains that i know are due to inactivity and weight gain ... as ali edwards guides us on our one little word journey this year, she's given her OLW class, a mantra: do the work!! i feel this class mantra is divine serendipity for me with my intention(s) ... ali has given our class a yearly mantra for about 4 years now, and the past ones haven't really resonated with me, but when i saw this in today's worksheets, a lightbulb went off!! so, thank you ali!! (i am sure i say this every year, but if you pick a word, and even if you aren't a scrapbooker this class really is fantastic for keeping your word central to your year ... it is by far the best $26 i spend every year!! you can still register for it here ... you won't regret it!!) so, i want to be open to finding the right activities that motivate and excite me to move my body ... that will mean trying some different classes/sports and perhaps revisiting some old ones that have fallen to the wayside ...

along with moving my body, i also want to continue building my meditation practice ... these two items: movement and meditation are the routines/practices i want ingrained in my life by the end of 2019 and i want to be open to creating the right time, space, routine/ritual that will make these two things become part of my daily non-negotiables!!... if you listened to episode #16 of the mother daughter podcast (if you haven't, you should!! wink wink!!) you'll know that i created a personal manifesto for myself (yes it might be 3 pages long - i'm nothing if not an intense A-type, can't pick one thing, kind of person!!) ... it all started with a list of 19 things for 2019 (an idea from the podcast happier) ... but after some self-reflection, these pretty lists i've created for myself over the last few years haven't necessarily worked that well for me ... and when i read about setting goals everyone (including my dear daughter) recommends using "i am ..." statements ... and then an article from the chopra centre caught my attention ... it was: the one question to ask yourself this new year: why? ... so together with present tense statements and the 19 things list, i sat down and asked myself why i wanted these things in my life ... well one thing led to another and before i knew it i had three pages of "i am statements" pertaining to various areas in my life and why i wanted these actions to manifest ... and yes claudia laughed at me, and you may be as well, and that's ok, go ahead giggle with her and me ... but this exercise felt incredibly valuable ... i think it might be similar to mission statements that companies do (hopefully their's aren't 3 pages - haha) ... but it's given me so much clarity about my core values and how i want to live my life ... at three pages it seems surprisingly less daunting than the previous years' one page to do lists!! as i was writing this manifesto i also thought a lot about grace and pacing myself ... i am fully aware that everything may not be "in place" by the end of 2019 and that's ok ... there may be items that don't resonate as the year moves along, also ok!! ... my intention is to read my manifesto periodically, to gently remind myself and check in ... the pressure to check things off the list, has seemed to have disappeared with this document!! claudia and i are planning on having our first podcast episode of each month as an update, where we're at, not only with our little words, but our goals/plans etc ... so you might want to tune in!! (you can listen here) ... shameless plug!!

and the last compelling reason i picked open this year is because i've had some significant changes to my business ... i have the opportunity to embark on new ventures and try something different ... it's equally exciting and scary to move into uncharted waters ... and i'm not entirely sure of what direction i want to sail in!! ... therefore, i want to be open to what is calling to my soul, where do my passions truly lie?? it has been many, many, years since i've had this type of choice ... the last time was probably picking a major in university and then deciding to open an art gallery while i worked on my masters in art history ... so about 32+ years ago!! ... i've been in the advertising business for almost 20 years, and although i enjoyed it and its benefits, it was a company/job/career that i took on when my hubbie went into politics ... as someone who is an entrepreneur/business owner to her core and comes from a line of them (my father, mother, grandfather all had and ran their own businesses) i willingly and enthusiastically took on my husband's business when he wasn't "allowed" to run it, as he became a minister of the crown when he got elected ... but now, i get the freedom to pick what i want to do ... so i want to be open to the universe ... to opportunities ... to ideas ... to my passions ...

i know this will be a challenging year as i make significant changes to my personal and work routines, but i'm ready to do the work!!

December 30, 2018

it's the last day of the year and that means it's time for my 6th annual best of the year list in photos ... i know it's been a very sparse year for blog posts around here ... as i said way back in the spring, i no longer have guilt around this ... but that said, i always miss this creative outlet when i don't do it regularly ... i do want to change that in the new year and post more often (empty promises?!?) ... i hope not

i've said it before but i know it for sure now, i am fully immersed in a season of transition ... personally (who am i, what am i doing, what do i want to do/be for the next chapter??!! so, those little questions!!), physically (hello perimenopause in full swing ... TMI since we haven't talked in awhile?!?!), work wise (what am i really passionate about?), and dealing with these two adult kids that are at home and trying to find their own way in the world (know what i'm talking about?!? cause it can be painful!!) hmmm ... maybe this is also otherwise referred to as mid-life!! haha ... i refuse to call it a crisis and prefer 'season of transition' ... and maybe this new season has descended because for the most part my season of grief is over ... it's been 3 years since my mom passed and 4 years for my dad ... hard to fathom ... but when i think of them now it's little moments and memories that usually leave me more uplifted than sad ... i still and will always miss them terribly but there's a calm and peace that wasn't there before ... you know what they say about time ... they are right!!

as business owners, 2018 has continued to be incredibly difficult and stressful during this time of economic downturn in alberta ... that said, we are so very blessed with health, family, a beautiful home, good food & wine, great friends, a little bit of travel and lots of love and laughter ... we've enjoyed hanging out at home, i've done a lot of baking and a bit of cooking (if creating cheese/charcuterie boards count - LOL!!) ... we love playing pool and various board games with the kids and their friends ... we thoroughly enjoyed our backyard this summer, and since the season of grief has lifted we've been doing a bit more socializing with friends and family both at home and out in the world, which has been great!!

as oprah says, what i know for sure is: that life is filled with some good, some bad and some in between stuff ... i really did embrace all of it this year and chose positivity as much as humanly possible (that means i still lost my shit a lot ... see and blame perimenopause situation above!!) ... one of the best things i did for myself this year was take a 'learn to teach meditation' course which was an intensive weekend program ... i am working on a consistent meditation practice and it's brought more presence, awareness, gratitude and stillness to my life ... with that occasional i'm a crazy, mid-life aged woman outburst!! i've also learned to let myself sit with uncomfortable, angry and sad feelings, as much as i let myself bask in the feelings of joy, gratitude and happiness, rather than brushing them off or ignoring them ... as humans we get all the feels and for me i have found being truly present regardless of the discomfort or comfort i'm experiencing, to go with it, because it's all fleeting ... if i don't like my current state, i acknowledge it and wait a moment, an hour, or day and soon i'm experiencing a new feeling ... yikes that got deep ... my end of the year words of wisdom LOL!!!

ok enough talk, it's photo time and as usual i had to scroll through 1000's of photos ... it's always a reminder that this is such a great exercise because it really does make you focus on the positive and fun times ... i would highly recommend scrolling through your phone photos from 2018, guaranteed you won't regret it!! ... as always these photos might not be the best composed, edited or lighted ones, but rather are meaningful and impactful for the memories and joy they evoke ... thanks for joining me on my little walk down memory lane!!

still the best new recipe ... everyone in our house loves this twist on rice krispie squares and we're lucky if they last for a few hours!! you can find the recipe here

best dog meets birthday cupcake photo ... happy 13 sweet eddy!!

best new passion project ... the mother daughter podcast ... i absolutely love recording this with claudia ... we have so much fun!! we got 16 episodes under our belt and are putting out the intention to spread more regular joy and laughs in 2019!! you can listen here ... come join our crazy

best new cocktail ... vanilla bourbon peach cocktail ... inspired by a candle!?! and created by me ... check out the recipe over on the mother daughter podcast blog

best tradition continues ... wine and cheese with kids in attendance most friday nights!!

best new shoes ... who doesn't love black and white gingham when you are dancing in the south??

best spontaneous dance night and the most laughter ... charleston, south carolina ... such a fun girl's trip celebrating one of my best friend's 50th bday

best shortbread macadamia cookies ... we are addicted to these delicious little bites ... too bad you can only get these in vegas and hawaii ... sadly shipping is too cost prohibitive to order online ... even i have my limits for an addiction!! LOL

best birthday surprise reaction ... the kids (who are we kidding - claudia organized it!!) got me my favourite chocolate cake from harts kitchen ... had such a fun b-day dinner out and then cake back at home with my three favourite people!!

best bridal shower ... loved creating this special party for one of my dearest and oldest friend's daughter ... note that the froot loop krispie squares even make an appearance here!!

best new business launch ... second star to the right co. ... hand drawn, hand crafted magic merch by claudia norris ... you can get her 5 star rated t-shirts, foil prints and stickers here

best reno project ... "flipping" our rental property

best new favourite and most light-filled breakfast/lunch spot ... wilfred's, edmonton ... constantly craving the smoked salmon platter with a poached egg

best photo of our crazy but cutest georgia ... this photo was not staged!! she just loved getting into the leaves this fall!!

best mother daughter date night ... stitching rainbows at a made social co. event, edmonton

best donuts ... o'hana donuterie, edmonton ... they are served warm and you can choose your filling and glaze ... nuff said!!

best crafting project ... my own design and you can see the finished project in the next photo

best room makeover ... second star to the right co. got kicked out of my scraproom and found it's new home in claudia's studio ... it's where she creates magical merch, we record our podcast, and she'll be filming her youtube videos there in the new year ... we both love being in this room ... it went from the saddest room in the house to the happiest place on earth!! oops, disney has already claimed that title!! ;)

best christmas vignette ... love me lots of twinkly mini trees and woodland animals ... aahh just noticed that a polar bear and penguins DO NOT fall into the category of woodland animals!!

best 2018 sculputure ... charlottetown, pei

it's always a bittersweet goodbye to the end of another year ... thank you for continuing to visit my little corner of the web ... looking forward to being open to what 2019 will bring ... and wishing you and yours a very happy new year!!

October 10, 2018

as i promised back in a post from february, i am carrying no more guilt about not posting regularily!! apparently i took that to heart ... no guilt = no posts!! so thanks for stopping by and continuing to do so ... cause through the magic of technology and algorithms, i can see that i still have readers/friends/hackers?!!, checking to see what's up ... thank you so much for that ... i am grateful for each and every one out there that reads the words i put on the screen in the spirit of spreading joy ...

feels like life has been a blur these past 6 months ... or maybe that's how it always is!?! i was blessed with quite a bit of travel with girlfriends and family in april, may and june!! there's been celebrating, creating and launching of new projects ... entertaining, working and establishing a meditation practice ... and i've been wrestling with embrace, my OLW this year ... i was really finding it a challenging word at about the six month mark, so i pulled out my OLW album and revisited my january inentions ... and a lightbulb went on!! since then i've recommitted to embracing the good, bad and ugly in my life ... despite all the fun and good stuff, we've had a lot of stressors around here including business (or lack there of - thanks economy) and adult kids, one being back home after being away at university for 4 years, the other still here!! ... anyone else dealing with adult children at home?? ... yikes!! i've truly recognized that each and every one of us has days, months and even seasons that are simply more stressful than others ... the key is how we deal with it!! i've learned that it is just as important to sit with the bad moments/emotions/feelings as it is to cherish the postive and joyous times ... that said, it is sometimes easier said than done!! it's like learning to ride a bike, you just got to keep getting back on and trying again!!

along with the stressors, struggling with my OLW and just general busyness, i was once again questioning my blog ... what was i doing? do i still want to do it? does anyone care? does it matter if anyone cares? and when i start questioning, procrastinating takes hold and then six months pass ... and then one day out of the blue you have an email conversation with a friend about a completely unrelated topic and suddenly it's all crystal clear!!

so this blog post is dedicated to my friend barb ... here's how she motivated me to keep on posting ... thanks dear friend, love you!!

last week barb and i were emailing about our upcoming book club pick date and somehow the conversation evolved to talking about the weather ... i don't normally like to complain too much about weather or let it affect me, but it has been a brutal fall, it was a monday morning and we were having another chilly, snowy, yucky day ... our fall weather in edmonton has truly sucked!! so at the end of our book club discussion, i wrote: "enjoy the snow, i am trying to see the beauty in it!!" and barb responded with: "blog something inspirational, help me see the beauty" ... barb, you will never know how much i appreciated your words, with all my internal questioning and doubt about this blog, your words restored my resolve to continue writing ... and apparently, her words not mine (so it's not considered boasting right!?!), "oh it's worth it my friend. you have a gift."... she is such a wonderful person and i truly respect her intelligence and gentle manner, i was so flattered, humbled and inspired to indeed get back to this little hobby of mine ...

so today i'm doing my happy things list ... it's always the little things ... and i truly believe if we can spend a moment or two throughout each day to PAUSE and notice these things it can improve our mood, change the course of the day, lift our spirit ... and yes some days that momentary feeling of "happiness" is fleeting, but as i said, just keep getting on that bike again and again ... it's all about PRACTICE ... another lesson i've learned this year!!

ok, so enough of the heavy stuff ... here are the things that have been punctuating the darkness with a some joy and happiness!! i hope this is gives you a bit of inspiration to brighten your day barb!! (cause yes it's another grey day here in edmonton!!)

this tree and this statue ... she's just hanging out underneath that canopy of fire orange and red ... and that tree is hanging on to it's fall splendour despite the snow!! these two inspire me each morning as i look out my bedroom window ...

the mother daughter podcast ... i get so much joy from recording this podcast with claudia ... we're back at it and committed to recording on a regular basis again ... if you haven't listened yet, we'd love it if you joined our crazy time of banter ... you can find us on itunes, soundcloud and our website ... shameless plug #1!!

pixie dust ... just the name of these little bags of sparkly glitter make me smile ... i have become the head pixie dust maker for claudia's etsy shop, second star to the right co. ... each disney inspired t-shirt, print or stickers package gets sent with a bag of pixie dust, made with love and magic ... i love my "new job"!! if you love disney or know someone that does, check out her shop ... shameless plug #2!!

completed projects ... it's always so gratifying to finally finish a project that's been on your to do list for awhile ... recovering/decoupaging claudia's jewellery box to match her new room decor only took me 6 months to complete after move in day!! she really does have a great walk in closet since the reno ... i might even have a bit of green-eyed monster heading toward that gorgeous closet, because sadly, i have to share mine with hubbie and we didn't change the size or footprint of it!! the chest of drawers is a family heirloom, hand-made by my carpenter dad for me 53 years ago and repainted/refinished at least once each decade!! that's german workmanship for ya!!

my master bath ... specifically, my glass wall shower that allows me a view to the outside world ... regardless of the weather outside, stepping into the shower and seeing the sky through the window always lifts my spirits ... it allows me to see the "bigger picture" and that there's more than just me and my feelings!! before the reno we had one of those small, dark, plastic liner-type showers that were so popular in the 90s!! this is much better!!

the happy lists ... love when these inspirational thoughts, show up in my instagram feed ... they remind me of that book of awesome from several years ago ... they are little bites of goodness to make you pause, ponder, smile, wonder, and be reminded of that feeling, moment or time when you experienced the same thing ... and gotta love her colour scheme!! here's a link to their feed ...

good books ... i have been on a lucky reading roll!! loved the dinner list and am really enjoying the depth and characters in the history of bees ... finding an interesting point of view that combines science, philosophy and psychology from a controversial author in 12 rules for life ...

and no picture required for my last happy thing: dinner with girlfriends ... how can that not make you happy!?! girlfriends always have your back, and if yours don't, message me and i'll go for dinner with you!!

April 04, 2018

of all the blog posts i've written over the past eight years this one has me feeling very, very vulnerable ... and quite emotional on a lot of levels ... so i am just going to dive in and be real, vulnerable and authentic with all of this ... as we all know much of our social media interactions are curated ... we all like to show our best photos and our clean homes ... but the reality is NONE of us live in a magazine spread or on that perfect instagram reel ... we all have dirty dishes, piles of laundry, fights with our spouses, troubles at work, children that sometimes disappoint, friends that frustrate, debts that seem insurmountable, aches and pains that persist and the list could go on and on ... (i written about this before, many years ago here)

in my 52 years on this beautiful planet, i have learned that we're all human and none of us are immune to hurts and pains, joys and happiness ... and with a few decades (haha) tucked under my belt, i've been kicked to the curb and have had my fair share of heartache, disappointments and WTFs!! in my experience i've also learned that the older we get, we tend to gravitate towards what might seem safer, what the status quo might be ... occasionally even the refrains of "you're too old to do that" might be heard whispering over your shoulder ... that youthful enthusiasm and energy might be in shorter supply ... and honestly self-doubt can creep in, sometimes it just cuddles right up and pulls all the covers from you ... so with all these emotions, thoughts and feelings whirling, i've decided to (mostly) tuck the negativity and self-doubt into my back pocket and forge ahead anyway ...

a few years ago i read elizabeth gilbert's book Big Magic and she talked about creative ideas swirling around the universe and that they are there for the taking ... her "theory" is that if you don't grab it and use it, someone else will ... i loved the concept and the idea of it, despite the "woo-woo" of it all, (but as you all know, i can tend to the woo-woo side occasionally!!) and it has stuck with me ... coming from an entrepreneurial background; having parents, a husband, extended family members and even my kids, that are wired this way, means we talk about A LOT of business ideas (if i had a dollar for every idea we've ever thrown around, the piggy bank would be stuffed to bursting!!) ...

so with all that off my chest!! ... claudia (my daughter) and i spend a lot of time together ... we call me the "momager" and i've been assisting with her musical endeavours, branding, marketing, and assisting where i can ... we style photoshoots together for our instagrams and blogs ... we've travelled to nashville and la for her music ... and most recently she was my "assistant designer" on our renovation project ... we like a lot of the same things, love to travel together, hang out and generally enjoy each other's company ... i am so grateful to have a healthy, positive relationship with her ... all that being said, about a year ago we started talking about the idea of doing a podcast together ... our past experiences in the music business and our dealings with people as we were doing the renovations elicited many similar comments: "it's so cool to see your mother/daughter relationship"... "you two are so funny together"... "you should have a reno show!!'" (we particularily liked that comment, but HGTV has not, as of yet, received that memo!!) ... and we have both become mildly addicted to listening to podcasts ... and that "big magic" idea continued swirling around and around ... our original concept for our podcast evolved and on monday, april 2nd our first official episode of the mother daughter podcast went live!!

for some reason having my "real" voice out in the universe is super scary, and makes me feel incredibly vulnerable and even though i have put my thoughts into the world via this blog platform for the past 8 years, this new endeavour feels bigger, and a bit more open for scrutiny and criticism, which as i said earlier, can feel harder, the older you get ... but, i am going to pat myself on the back for taking the leap and overcoming my fear at being laughed at, criticized and judged ... claudia and i both decided, what the heck, let's do this thang and just go big or go home ... we're not a famous mother-daughter duo and maybe only our closest friends and family will listen, but we grabbed that swirling idea and claimed it as our own and we're running with it ... (thanks for the inspiration and cosmic push elizabeth gilbert!!)

our goal with this podcast is simple, we want to spread some joy, entertain and maybe even inspire our "listeners" and friends ... we want to demonstrate that the mother daughter relationship can be a positive one, that we can have differing opinions and still respect each other ... we want to celebrate this incredible bond that females can have with each other ... maybe even help mothers and daughters that don't have the best relationship, find some common ground ... as other podcasts have done for us, we'd like to share some laughter and "realness" and ultimately create an online community of women that can share and support each other ... we're going to keep it mostly on the lighter side, because let's be real, we're not psychologists or therapists, just two flawed, but authentic women of different ages trying to do our best and have some fun doing it!! this is our mother daughter take on the world!!

and most of all we'd love it if you went and listened ... you can find us at itunes, soundcloud and right on our website and i hope you'll laugh with us ... keep the laughing at us, to yourself (LOL!!!)

whew ... i feel so much better that i shared that all with you all!! thanks for listening, figuratively and now literally!!

March 01, 2018

inspire: 1.) to breathe in, inhale 2.) instill thought or create feeling into a person 3.) intuitive 4.) to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence

things around the web this month that have me totally inspired!

the above photo is from one of my favourite instagram accounts right now @theselittlesquares ... the simplicity of kim's photos are so beautiful ... they make me take a deep breath!! and maybe you should grab a cup of tea, lots of links and reading to follow ... this is one of those posts that can send you down the rabbit hole of the internet!!

i recently wrote a blog post called pace. ... i thought i would share some of the articles that inspired me to think about this word and concept ... the following articles are all from the chopra centre ... (they send out weekly newletters that always have a list of very interesting topics) ...

2.) another article focuses on getting motivated when we feel depleted

3.) and this one suggests setting a one word intention ... chopra's take on the OLW??!! (the author is acutally elena sonnino ... so it's her opinions, not necessarily deepak's!!)

4.) danielle laporte is quite the spiritual guru/writer/philosopher from vancouver, bc and spoke at the bloom festival here in edmonton last fall, which i sadly couldn't attend ... she's got some cool meditative/yoga/new age-ish stuff on her blog and in her books ... in the vein of setting goals and trying to do it all (which by the way i do not believe is possible!!) her post about being addicted to productivity is very insightful ... trying to remind myself daily that being still is the right thing to do!!

the next links have nothing to do with my pace. blog post!!

5.) the article when i was married, i was rich . then i got a divorce. was suggested by the hollywood housewife who i've mentioned before ... i'm not even sure what to say about it, except that i have thought about this 52 year old woman every day since i read the piece ... maybe it's because she's the same age as me or that it reminds me that life circumstances can change on a dime ... with all the woman empowerment going on these days, it's heartbreaking that women still have such a long way to go for equality and fairness in many aspects of our lives ...

6.) ok enough of the heavy stuff ... this one had me laughing outloud!!! and i definitely think windex should use this story for a commercial as someone suggested in the comments!!

7.) and since february isn't that far in our rear view mirror yet, nothing like a sweet love story borne out of tragedy ... here

8.) if you're nerdy like me and love words, this is cute and funny ... i stumbled upon it while researching my OLW for my january album prompt ... lots of "new" insulting words you can use!! sometimes i feel i might be a bit of a whiffle-whaffle, but i'm definitely not a raggabrash!!

9.) and because i'm also obsessed with colour i loved this little bit of photo/pantone inspiration ...

let me know if you've got a favourite instagram account or a cool website you like to visit regularily ... i'm always looking for something new to scroll through/read while i sip my morning tea or coffee!!

February 19, 2018

i wanted to share some of the things that are brightening up my february and this extended welcome back to the deep-freeze winter we're having here in alberta!!

flowers ... especially when they are from a dear friend and they last for almost two weeks ... and then they are also able to be used for instagram photos at the end of their life span!! win-win!!

good books ... it feels like our book club is on a role this year ... we've read two great books already ... fishbowl ... a quick and quirky book that totally sucked me in, loved the storyline including the cheesy gold fish literary device the author uses ... and a gentleman in moscow ... amor towles may have become one of my new favourite authors with his second book ... i loved, loved his first one: rules of civility ... his latest was such a wonderful book, it reminded me of one of those russian nesting dolls ... layers and layers of nuance, surprise, intelligence and simply great story telling ... i would highly recommend both of towles' books and fishbowl ...

and on the non-fiction front, well, let's be honest here, the self-help genre!! i'm currently enjoying louise hay's book life loves you ... great message and some good suggestions to keep this mantra in your life ... heart stickers have sprung up around my house to remind myself that love does indeed love me!! ... and i've got another daily intentional type of book for this year good morning ... i like that this year i've picked a daily message book that isn't necessarily religious or spiritual, but more motivational ... i've really come to love this start to my day which began about 3 years ago ... it's part of my daily routine!!

margaritas and housewives ... it seems like every reality television show we're watching lately features their main characters consuming margaritas ... maybe it's the 2018 cosmoplitan?? delicious and exotic margarita recipes and photos are also popping up on my instagram feed on a regular basis ... claudia doesn't drink a lot of alcohol, but she's found that margaritas are pretty tasty!! we're keeping it simple with using good ole bottled margarita mix and rather than rim the glasses with salt (as we did with this batch) which can take away precious tv watching time!! LOL, we've found that adding a sprinkle of sea salt flakes right into the drink does the trick and is so delicious!! cheers

snow on trees ... this photo is a few weeks old and most of the trees don't look like this anymore ... but i love it when all the snow collects on the branches; however, with our cold, dry weather any little wind usually renders this scene obsolete with a few good gusts!! i always attempt to enjoy this beautiful wintery scene while it's around!! and since this view is out my office window if i squint it feels like that house in the background is a mountain!!!!

photo wall ... even though we've been in the house now for almost 3 months, there are still a few projects that i have to check off my list ... finally printed up some precious photos to put up on our hallway wall between the master bedroom and office ... i love passing these every morning as i go to work ... reminds me of where i've come from and why i do what i do!! as you know i love photos so much!!

scraproom closet ... i get asked all the time how many walls we took down in our reno ... well we are probably the only people who put up more walls than we took down during our renovation!! i used to have a hallway that came off of my scraproom that was just wasted space ... we turned the existing linen/hall closet that was there, into a larger walk-in closet by closing off that back wall you see in the photo ... i just love all the extra room i have for supplies and photos etc. ... one of my favourite additions to my scrapping world!!

long family day weekends ... just being lazy, napping, watching movies, spending time with the kids and their friends, sipping wine and margaritas!! wink wink ... and playing board games ... awesome to have jack home ... and the dogs are always in on the relaxing sitch!!

social media shout out ... for claudia in narcity ... this online magazine listed her as one of the 32 edmonton girls who are absolutely killing it on instagram right now ... so cool and proud that she got mentioned!! check out her instagram here @claudianorris_

donuts ... i like donuts more in my mind than in real life ... i find that i get excited about donuts and then i'm usually disapppointed ... that is until i find one that meets all my inner expectations ... soft, not too sweet, slightly chewy, but still fluffy and airy ... that slight crunch of sugarglaze as you take the first bite ... bingo, i hit the jackpot with these two darlings from doughnut party ... they were a perfect kick off to my long weekend!! nutella, caramel and peach buttercream were the two flavours that have given me renewed hope in the donut arena ... this bakery is known for their vegan donuts which are good, but i preferred their full on version!! and let's just say i now have another new craving to add to that long list!! move over just a bit my margarita!! btw ... which version of donut/doughnut do you use?? as a canadian i should be partial to the doughnut spelling, as donut tends to be the americanized version ... regardless of how you spell it, they can be very delicious when you meet the right one ... kind of like meeting the right guy!! wink wink!!

what's on your happy meter these days?? i'd be over the moon happy if you shared in the comments!!

February 07, 2018

it seems like every year we albertans get lulled into a false sense of "spring is here" ... we had some balmy temps in january and most of the snow melted and then boom ... nature reminds us of where we really live!! -30 degrees celcius temperatures and lots of the fluffy, white stuff, which i really love BTW!! yup, this the north baby!!

this was the scene out our back door around january 19th ...

and on february 3rd ...

a few years ago typepad (my blog platform host) sent out an email that included a fun little "poem" by an unknown author ... in light of the tons of snow we've received over the past week, i thought sharing these wise words from the snowman were very appropriate and fun whilst we are still in the throws of winter!!

wisdom of a snowman

it's ok if you're a little bottom heavy.

hold your ground when the heat is on.

wearing white is always appropriate.

winter is the best of the seasons.

it takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.

everyone nose carrots are good for you.

the key to life is to be a jolly happy soul.

we are all mostly water.

accessorize!

don't get too much sun.

it's fun to hang out in the front yard.

there is no stopping you once you are on a roll.

remember we're all a little bit flakey.

building a least one snowman every winter was a tradition the kids and i had when they were much smaller ... the weather is too cold right now to roll together any good snowman/woman/girl/boy ... so i'm sharing a photo from winter's past ...

i couldn't resist posting a pic of the cute creators of this snowperson ... claudia and jack 2006!!

i'm sure i'll take heat for posting this!! and yes i'm keeping the reindeer out until i can set up my twinkly lights!! that means april when the real spring arrives in alberta!!

February 05, 2018

it's february ... and once again it's been a month since my last post ... i wish this didn't happen, but it does!! since, this blog is not a business, a job or source of income for me, (yet!?!) ... but rather a passionate, labour of love, i am deciding here and now, that i won't apologize for irregular posting anymore!! i will however, thank you in advance for sticking with me and visiting even without a regular schedule on my end!!

i may not have posted here, but my january was productive by embracing my to-do list and checking quite a few things off that list!! and then, as life is, it always throws you a few curve balls to make sure that your best laid plans get tossed aside!! therefore, items like blog posting and paint touch-ups in the house just didn't happen!!

as i was completing my 2017 OLW album a few weeks ago, (i fell way behind when we got to the end of the renovation and started the moving process) i was working on the september prompt that included viewing your word through the lens of pace, joy and rest ... the word pace really struck me ... around the same time, i had a read a few articles about new year's resolutions and the failure and success of those ... and it hit me: new year's resolutions/goals are really about pacing yourself ... as ali edwards said in the january 2018 prompt for OLW, this journey with our word (and this can be extended to include our life) is a marathon, not a sprint ...

i know, i know, this is a famous, often uttered quote: life is not a sprint; it's a marathon ... but i really thought about this statement and how it pertained to the beginning of january, when myself and many other A-type personalities/planners/organizers go crazy with creating lists and goals ... there is almost a high, when the clock strikes midnight and the calendar flips to january 1st of that shiny new year ... we get fired up, inspired and want to take on every. single. thing. on that list ... and do it NOW!!

but ... the reality is: january can be long, and cold, and dark (especially if you live in the northern hemisphere) and the list that glittered so brightly on january 1st and even 2nd, suddenly seems dull, daunting and overwhelming and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, pull the covers up, wish you'd never made the list and hibernate until april or may!! however, as one of those proponents of new year's resolutions, you can't bring yourself to crumple up that list and throw it out; that would mean even bigger failure than not reaching the goals!! yes, all of this is self-imposed!! as usual, i digress!!

so, bringing it back around to the word pace ... i realized that we really need to pace ourselves whether it's with a OLW, a goal, a new routine, an improved attitude etc. ... as soon as i embraced this concept i felt lighter and suddenly my list was sparkling just a little bit and even inspiring me to push forward, SLOWLY and with COMPASSION for myself and my general failings as a human being!!

in her book Good Morning, brooke noel talks about how we set ourselves up for failure by not allowing our goals to have room to succeed and expand.. she says we should aim for improvement not perfection ... if you say: i'm going to walk seven days a week (guilty ... see my OLW 2014!!) it's a hard goal to attain when you are starting from zero ... and even if you were to succeed in walking every day that first week, there is no room to grow ... no 8th day to say wow, i hit my goal and exceeded it ... she believes, especially in the fragile month of january, we need to set more realistic expectations so that we can reach our goal(s) and then grow and expand from there ... again, it's about pacing yourself ...

this pacing idea, is something i started subconsciously last year with my word intention ... giving myself 3 months to complete several projects ... having monthly intentions that allowed me a whole month to reach a desired outcome/goal ... this january, my monthly intention was to: embrace routine ... although not perfect by any stretch, i am on my way to slowly working some routine back into my life ... a specific day each week to complete household tasks like laundry, buying groceries; a specific day (Fridays, of course!) to have a fun day, that could include lunch with friends, pampering appointments, or something else that recharges me that's not work or my hobby and takes me out of the house (important when you work from home) ...

pacing is also about balance ... none of us can sustain high enery and positivity every single moment of every day ... we need to allow ourselves the space and grace to accept that we will have "off" times, be it a bad mood, health issues, work interference etc. ... pacing is also about resetting and recalibrating ... if you're a runner and you get a cramp, you have to adjust your pace ... the same goes for life and our goals ... we have to accept that we will fail, but we can pick ourselves up and try again ... we can give ourselves fresh starts, every day if necessary!!

as you might know, a few years ago my word was fresh ... and this year one of scrapbooking gurus, heidi swapp introduced a new "program" called 2018ex fresh start ... i am going to pretend she was inspired by my blog post/photo from 2016 - LOL!!

she is really expanding on this idea of pacing and breaking goals into bite-size, attainable pieces that can lead to a better overall enjoyment of life ... i am planning on following her lead and embracing her monthly prompts and words as a companion to my own intentions each month ... and talking about companion words, (another brilliant idea from ali edwards) i am also looking to embrace all of my past one little words ... the reason for this, is that like the heidi swapp fresh start program (my mantra for 2016), many of my previous words are showing up in my life in various places and in a very visible ways ... so, i want to explore and revisit these words ... to see how and if they still resonate in my life ... whether i want to give them more space in my current life ... do they have something to teach me ... are they reminding me of a past lessons i've forgotten?? after more than 11 years of OLW, i think this is a good exercise ...

hmmm ... i think my famous last words last month were to "go with the flow" ... while this post may not sound like that, i am embracing and pacing myself ... and in doing so, i'm keeping the excitement for my word and goals in focus ... as a believer in life-long learning and self-improvement, this concept of pacing really gives me a new perspective on the "new year's resolution" front ... and that is making a positive impact on me!!

January 01, 2018

i've struggled in the past with picking my guiding word for the year, but finding this word was the biggest challenge i've ever had with my one little word, even as late as yesterday i was still considering changing it ... i was toying with space, nurture, whole, listen, faith and breathe ... ultimately i wanted a 'softer' word this year and i think that's why i finally landed on embrace ... it felt like a warm hug, or a cozy blanket ... after the crazy, transitional, busy year 2017 was, i felt i needed a bit of a break, something more calm

intention: my one little word in 2017 was very challenging, but in a good way ... as is typical for me, i set the bar high, by choosing quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily intentions ... (can you say crazy A-type personality??!!) ... i do like the idea of choosing quarterly intentions/goals because it seems manageable (not that i completed a lot of those quarterly goals!!) but i'm going to keep some form of this practice for 2018 ... the monthly intention resonated the most with me and i'm planing to continue keeping a monthly intention combined with embrace ... i like that a monthly intention gives me enough time to really focus on a particular goal/habit/idea (almost in line with the theory it takes 28 days to create a new habit) ... the weekly intention was good as well ... it was really the monthly and weekly intentions that i had the most follow through on ... by july, i no longer picked a daily intention as it just got too overwhelming ... surprised??!! of course you aren't!! i still like the concept of a daily intention and will revisit this some other time ... intention was an intense word and i liked that it really helped me contemplate how i want to live my life ... the word even came up in a meditation led by Oprah and Deepak Chopra where she talked about setting an intention before she'd go into an important meeting ... i definitely want to continue living my life in an intentional way and also be intentional with the choices i make ...

embracing my business (nurturing existing business and exploring new opportunities)

embracing my family and friends (sharing and spending time together with the people that fill me up in a positive way and doing some more entertaining again)

embracing a new season

with our renovations complete and jack coming home again for good in may, we will have two adult children living with us in a new environment and i want to embrace all the laughter, fun and challenges these new circumstances will bring ... i have always been a very goal oriented person, especially with concrete kinds of projects that i can look at and say "this is completed" ... but extending on my intentional living from 2017 i want to embrace the idea of working on relationships, just being in the moment, and working on personal growth that might not have a tangible outcome in the short term ... i want to embrace everything but also just be!! we'll see if that's a doable goal, haha!!

our family loved having our first one little word in 2017: present ... and it was used by all of us especially at times when we were all together and some members were not so present!! ... as jack said, he liked having it in the background to pull on when needed ... and what's super cool in my books, is that he has chosen a word for himself this year too!! mama's habits are rubbing off on him ... claudia has been picking her own one little word for almost as long as i have!!

our one little family word for 2018 is also one i considered as my own, but everyone thought it was the perfect family word: calm ... i quickly agreed because i love that it ties in with my personal word ... now i can also embrace calm!!

like a gift, the new year always offers so many shiny, new possibilities ... it's one of my favourite times of the year ... making lists, setting goals, putting new intentions into action ... yup, that's me, a little nerdy and definitely an A-type personality who's going to attempt to embrace more of a relaxed, 'take it all in' approach this year!!

if you pick a one little word, i would love it if you share it in the comments!!

December 31, 2017

even though i was missing in action for the past months, it was always my intention to make sure i got up my best of the year list ... i love any kind of end-of-the-year lists ... not only did i want to share the best of my year with all of you, but i really like the process of sifting (well, really scrolling) through all my photos to reflect on the type of year its been ... and it's the 5th annual!! wow!!

with maturity comes some wisdom and i am slowly learning that no matter what one's intention is, there will always be curve balls thrown at you no matter what your plans might be!! it's a message/lesson that keeps returning, so obviously i don't completely get it yet!! my year of intention was filled with lots of blessings, laughter, some really great moments and times, but also some surprises (good & bad!), more business challenges, and some tough personal growth (i think i'm safe to say - for all family members!!) ... and definitely still moments of intense grief and sadness ... it really has been a season of transformation and transition ...

it's very cool to look back at photos to see if there were recurring themes or events ... it seems i walked around lakes a lot this past year (not intentional) ... went to several out of town weddings (planned!) ... took tons of photos of flowers, food, scenery and the renovations (intentional!) ... and WAY LESS photos of people (definitely not intentional and something that needs to be righted in 2018) ... because after sorting through all my parent's photos this year, it's really the pictures of people that we ultimately care about!!

as always these pics aren't the best because of their photo quality, lighting or composition, but rather for me they spark some type of memory that's simply part of the best of the year!! so without further ado let's get to the fun stuff: the photos ...

best tradition continues ... friday wine and cheese nights for hubbie and me (occasionally joined by children)

best new bakery find ... la boule, edmonton ... lemon tart is divine

best spring light ...

best new recipe ... mini flourless chocolate cakes with coconut cream ... still craving these all the time!! links for recipes on this post

best and biggest display of rose wine ever ... santa monica, ca ... millenial pink is alive and well in the wine industry!!

best song on the radio ... YEG by claudia norris (proud mama moment!!) ... get or listen to it here

best and most emotional project ... sorting and organizing my parent's photos ... now i need to get them into albums for my brother and me!!

best photo found of my paternal grandparents ... it's the look of love after 60 years of marriage ... so cute ... and probably the only photo ever of my stoic opa smiling!!

best and "funnest" themed golf tournament ... 60's golf at the edmonton golf and country club ... and i surprised myself by actually connecting with the ball, considering it was my first round of the season!!

best neighbourhood lake ... we took tons of walks around here in all kinds of weather and i will miss this walking trail near our temporary home ... paisley, edmonton

best pic of eddy ... he knows it's important to take time to smell the flowers!!

best sporting event ... canadian university rowing nationals in burnaby, bc ... jack and his st.f.x. team make it to the final and most important regatta of the year ... they achieved a personal best!!

best pinterest dream come true ... our new library

best and proudest parent moment ...jack gets his X-ring

best west coast walk ... burnaby lake loop, bc

best and most sentimental christmas ornaments ... my mom's treasured ornaments finally make their debut on our tree ... we keep it simple to highlight them

best family day ... christmas pops at the edmonton symphony orchestra ... an annual tradition that includes breakfast and a dinner out ... this year was probably the BEST performance ever ... tears were wiped away by each of us at various times!!

best cocktail ... moscow mules in our new copper mugs, handcrafted by jack!!

best christmas light show ... castrol raceway, edmonton

thanks again for visiting my blog ... wishing you all the best for a wonderful, healthy and joyful new year ... see you in 2018!!